Ava (2017)
★★★★☆
Ava is an unforgiving, unforgettable coming-of-age film about a teenage girl’s loss of freedom in Iran from a compelling new filmmaker, Sadaf Foroughi.
Iran
3 Faces (2018)
★★★★☆
3 Faces is Jafar Panahi’s fourth film since receiving a 30-year ban on filmmaking (or leaving Iran). It’s an involving, compelling, deeply ingrained criticism of the society it quietly observes.
Cannes Film Festival 2018: Day 6
★★★★☆
Cannes Film Festival 2018
Cannes Film Festival 2018: Day 1
★★★★☆
Cannes Film Festival 2018
Gholam (2017)
★★★☆☆
Mitra Tabrizian’s Gholam stars Shabab Hosseini in an intense story of a lonely exiles alienation from two cultures.
Cannes review: A Man of Integrity (Lerd) (2017)
★★★★☆
Mohammad Rasoulof laments institutional corruption in Iranian society in A Man of Integrity (Lerd).
The Salesman (2016)
★★★★☆
Asghar Farhardi’s The Salesman illuminates universal moral arguments about masculinity by presenting them in parallel with a production of Arthur Miller’s stage play in contemporary Iran.
Under the Shadow (2016)
An original supernatural horror movie set in Iran, Under the Shadow is an impressive debut for director Babak Anvari. Under the Shadow CAUTION: Here…
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Festival Review: A Dragon Arrives! (2016)
★★★★☆
A multilayered blast of mysterious occurrences in the desert, Mani Haghighi’s A Dragon Arrives! is an enjoyable bafflement.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
★★★☆☆
An Iranian skateboarding vampire movie, Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is a quirky, stylish addition to the genre.
The Past / Le Passé (2013)
★★★★☆
The emotional secrets of two families are revealed when an Iranian returns to Paris to finalise his divorce from his French wife.
Film Festival: 27th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2013
Taking on sham gay marriages, oppression and homophobic violence, the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival holds back on taboo in favour of a global step forward.
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A Separation (2011)
★★★★★
Following its own merciless and tragic logic, Asghar Farhadi’s divorce parable A Separation is deceptively straightforward, exposing the loss of humanity beyond bitter recriminations.
The Hunter (2010)
★★★☆☆
Like an Iranian Falling Down, Rafi Pitts’ The Hunter pushes one man over the edge in a city seething with male anguish and state violence.